Gardening requires the use of a variety of tools including hand tools or power tools. A hand tool is any one of many tools made for gardens and gardening and overlaps with the range of tools made for agriculture and horticulture. A hand tool is typically ideal when a power tool might otherwise be impractical or burdensome to use. A hand tool is also generally preferred over larger gardening tools because a hand tool requires the use of only one hand, takes up minimum space, and is easily stored.
The hand tools still used by gardeners originated with the earliest agricultural implements used by man, for example, the hoe, pitchfork, fork, rake, hand cultivator, spade, shovel and hand trowel. The earliest tools were made of wood, flint, metal, tin, and bone. However, the development of metal working, first in copper and later in iron and steel, enabled the manufacture of more durable tools.
Unfortunately, repetitive strain injuries (RSI) can result from the use of hand tools while gardening due to repetitive tasks, forceful exertions, vibrations, mechanical compression, or sustained positions. RSI is an injury to the musculoskeletal and nervous systems that may affect any part of the body and at times at multiple locations, such as, but not limited to, the neck, shoulder, elbow, hand, wrist, and fingers. Repetitive stress injuries can develop over time and can lead to long-term disability.
According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), excessive force imposed on muscles may increase the potential for musculoskeletal injury and disorder. Furthermore, NIOSH cites a number of studies what indicate that even less than excessive force may predispose a person to musculoskeletal injuries and disorders, especially during repetitive activities or static activities performed with an awkward posture.
Fortunately, several methods of reducing repetitive strain injuries while gardening have been developed. Some of the most common techniques include keeping elbows partially bent, especially when doing resistive activities requiring elbow strength; avoiding twisting the forearms back and forth repeatedly; keeping wrists in a neutral position; holding objects with a light grasp for a short period of time; and squatting with heels on the ground. While all of these actions can help minimize the occurrence of repetitive stress injuries, proper hand tools with a comfort and functional design are also necessary for preventing repetitive strain injuries. In fact, proper ergonomic design is necessary to prevent repetitive strain injuries and other musculoskeletal disorders, which can develop over time and can lead to long-term disability.
Ergonomics is the practice of designing products, systems or processes to take property account of the interaction between them and the people who use them. Ergonomics is concerned with the “fit” between the user, equipment, and their environments. The goal of ergonomics is to design a tool so it creates less stress on the body. Ergonomic designs of equipment, systems, and working methods improve the comfort, health, safety, and productivity of the users.
Conventional hand tools are generally one size fits all. This approach may be sufficient for most people who use hand tools occasionally. The inexact fit of the hand tools with the shape and flexibility of the human hand causes limited problems.
Some portion of the population use hand tools daily as part of their hobby or in their chosen line of work, and for these people, the lack of exact fit to the human hand is causing serious physical injury. Therefore, manufacturers have taken the science of ergonomics and applied it to garden tools for those gardeners who are constantly using still want to be active outdoors even though they might have more physical limitations. Ergonomic hand tools are designed to keep the body in neutral positions while working, lessening the amount of stress on joints and muscles. Incorporating ergonomic design into hand tools used for gardening allows gardeners to work while exerting less energy, so they can still enjoy all the pleasures and productivity of gardening.
In gardening, ergonomic design not only reduces the risk of injury, but can also assist with power application. Ergonomic design of hand tools allows a user to set the angle that best suits them and the job they are doing. For example, the handle of a hand tool must be held at the smallest possible angle in relation to the ground, in order to propel motions, such as digging or lifting, forward as effectively as possible. If the angle between the handle and the ground becomes too large, the base of the hand tool will make less contact with the ground and will have a detrimental effect on the desired operation. In essence, effectively adjusting the angle between the handle and the ground allows a hand tool to exert pressure on a wider area, making the desired operations more efficient and easier to perform.
Currently, many hand tools are ergonomically designed with cushioned handles. Although at first the difference between cushioned and non-cushioned handles is subtle, over time the reduced strain on hand and arm muscles is noticeable. However, a cushioned handle, by itself, may not be sufficient in protecting a user and satisfying all of the ergonomic requirements of a user. Moreover, the simple cushioning to the handles does not assist with or improve on the power application of the hand tools.
Thus, there is a need for a hand tool that will allow a user to lift a perform operations with as much power as possible while minimizing risk of injury. Thus, there remains a need for a hand tool that will offer a more ergonomic design to improve the comfort, health, safety, and productive of the user.